What I Carry: Finding My Voice Through the Piri

What I Carry: Finding My Voice Through the Piri

Abstract

What I Carry is a creative research project that examines how I came to understand my musical identity through the relationship between Korean cultural heritage, personal experience, and artistic practice. Centered on the Korean traditional wind instrument, the piri, this project investigates how Korean traditional music can coexist with jazz while maintaining its own musical identity. Rather than treating tradition and jazz as separate musical worlds, I explore how they can exist together as parts of a unified artistic voice. This research combines ethnomusicological literature, musical analysis, and original composition. Drawing on Timothy Rice’s discussion of music and identity, as well as studies of the piri’s expressive techniques, I examined how the instrument’s flexible pitch, timbre, and ornamentation contribute to its voice-like qualities. These ideas informed four original compositions, each representing a different stage of my artistic journey—from uncertainty and self-discovery to realization and integration. Throughout the compositional process, I also incorporated concepts developed at the Berklee Global Jazz Institute, including comprovisation, tetrachord-based harmonic structures, and creative improvisation. Through this project, I realized that music is not only a means of expression but also a way of discovering identity. The piri became a medium through which I recognized that my Korean musical background and my jazz practice are not conflicting identities but complementary parts of a single artistic voice. More broadly, this project suggests that traditional musical practices can continue to evolve through intercultural collaboration while maintaining their own artistic identity, expanding the possibilities of jazz without compromising the integrity of tradition.

Publication Date

7-1-2026

Campus

Boston Campus

Keywords

SouthKorea; PiriPlayer; GlobalJazz; Worldmusic

What I Carry: Finding My Voice Through the Piri

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